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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

Many of us visit this forum everyday, sometimes, many times per day. We interact with each other constantly but know little about one another.

Although this is a bit off topic, I think its ok to sneak this one in as I would love to know just a little about who I am corresponding with almost every day.

If you don't mind, please tell us just a little about yourself. Nothing too personal, just maybe some of your other interests and hobbies.

I find myself replying to people a lot that I don't even know if they are a man or a woman, teenager, or filled with world knowledge. Also, it would be kind of neat to see what other members interests are.

Again, post only what you feel comfortable with. Let us all get to know each other just a little bit better.

Some info on me:

I live in Arizona with Mrs Hunky whom I met back in 1984 in Connecticut where I grew up.

After destroying my joints being a former competitive athlete (spring board diving) and racing motocross motorcycles, I decided to find some tamer activities and today I not only enjoy my piano playing, but also swimming, scuba diving, and off road riding (in a modified Yamaha Rhino)...little 4wd buggy.

My wife raises and breeds Llama's and is very active in spinning and weaving of their wool (fiber).

I have been playing piano since May of 2004 so I will be coming up on 2 years this may. I have never took any "official" lessons, but I have been given a lot of great advice from other forum members.

As with my other hobbies, I enjoy piano for very specific reasons; mostly due to the fact that I can really relax and unwind while playing music.

This year, I will be 40!! yikes!, I am finding myself "shifting" gears a little from extreme, "break your bones" sports and activities to more enjoyable and rewarding interests that seem to last a lot longer than the quick adreneline rush of a huge motorcycle jump.

I have'nt turned into a woman...yet!! , but I am starting to appreciate things in a different light. (possible mid-life crisis??)

52 Yrs O-L-DI'll be 53 late April. I am living my dream by owning a house in Durango Colorado. I live with my girl friend of 2.5 years and her 16 year old son. It's a first. I've never married and have no children of my own. I've been here in the mountains of Colorado since 1998. Prior to that I lived in Kansas City where it is HOT and HUMID and I have never looked back. I do what I must for a living but mostly I do high end home remodeling; Kitchens, Additions, Whole house Renovations. I've played piano for about thirty years but never really improved much until last year when I started to take lessons again. I just bought a Yamaha grand piano that is scheduled to arrive tomorrow afternoon. I've always played on an upright so I am expecting this to be a real thrill. Piano is my only real "hobby" but I do work a lot, and like what I do. Does that count?There you are. My Steve Martin accounting of my life.

For a snapshot of my life, see the link on my signature! People probably already know I:

* drink at the piano* have a fluffy white dog who sits in my lap* just turned 39* have a wonderful wife, but no kids* have discovered Bach and Schubert and wish I could play it all* have interests in punk, avante-garde and minimalist music* work for a very big and evil oil company* am building a veggie garden in the back yard, that my wife promises me she will take over the responsibility for.

I live in NewZealand for ten years, I started piano five years ago, but still played terribly that you might think I played only five days .I am a female, still single (who wants to marry to piano). My interest, of course: piano! Besides, I like foods, travel (but I scared to take plane). I'm an easy, optimistic person, life is so short, why make it too hard? Enjoy life as long as you still alive, you still health.What else? Ah, I have 8 fruit trees in my garden, if anyone wants to have your X'ams in summer, come to visit me and we can play piano and climb the trees! I also have a pet, a snake turtle, so cute, if you want he look at you, play good piano for him, he has a critical ear, that's why he never look at me! The most pitiful things for me are : 1. I didn't have chance to learn piano when i was young; 2. no many concert here;3. don't have friends who love piano as me.

That's me!

_________________________
In my this life, I will enjoy playing the pianoIn my next life, I will become a pianist

Well, pretty much anything you would like to know, can be found here: Mak\'s Pages(Tho I have yet to add a page about my piano endeavors)

But the quick version: I'm 50 (to turn 51 early next month), married for almost 28 years, 3 daughters (two have moved out, one to go!), and we live in southern NH with 7 cats, one dog (chocolate lab) and one rat. I have loved music all my life, and sang in everything from grade school children's church choirs to 17 years with an adult chorale. My husband plays the bass- electric at the moment, tho he would dearly love to learn acoustic at some point. I love many types of music, but you will mostly find me listening to 80's arena rock, jazz, Broadway and New Age. I started taking piano lessons almost exactly a year ago, because I have always wanted to learn to play. The other "obsession" we have is chili cook-offs. We compete in the International Chili Society cookoffs. I compete in chile verde and salsa only; hubby adds red chili. As a side note- I have already qualified for the 2006 World's Championship in salsa! Hmm, let's see, what else? Oh, yes- we are concert junkies, and are lucky to live as close as we do to Boston, so we get to see some great music- mostly jazz and rock. I can also be a bit of a geek....

And that's my life in a nutshell- an appropriate receptacle

_________________________
-Mak

1889 Mason & Hamlin screwstringer uprightKawai MP-4 digital

---------------------------When life hands you lemons, throw them back and add some of your own. Stupid life.

Well nice to meet you all. Nice idea super hunkey, it is true I am on this forum two or three times a day. I am 53 years old, started piano 3 1/2 years ago. Still feel like I am barely able to play but I am definitively obsessed. I live on 14 acres with sheep and donkeys and I spin wool, knit and work as a mental health provider for the county. I can't wait to retire and just be obsessed by all that I love. This forum has been fabulous because I could never find people who were interested or nearly as obsessed as I. I am thrilled to be here.

I'll be 46 this year, married 19 years, no kids. Both my wife and I spent 20 years in the Navy and now she is a veterinary technician and I have my own business taking care of computer networks for small businesses. I'm kind of an out-sourced IT department for small businesses that can't afford to hire a full-time computer guy.

My hobbies are reading, (not much of that in the last few years alas), watching DVDs, (when we have the time to spend), house remodeling, (I dislike it, but hate to spend the money to hire someone), woodworking, (again, with everything else, haven't had the time to really get into it), and of course piano.

When I retire, I want to play piano in the mornings, do woodworking in the afternoons, and watch DVDs or read in the evenings. That would be the life!

Two and a half years ago, I was plinking on my brother-in-law's out of tune upright and he asked me if had ever played. I said, no, but I had always wanted to learn. To which he replied, "well you're not getting any younger". I had to admit he was correct on that point.

A month or so later, Robert Palmer died. That was the final straw. Life is just too bloody short to keep procrastinating on things that we want to do.

So I talked it over and I bought a Yammie DGX-500. I hadn't found PianoWorld yet, (that would be a couple more weeks), so I didn't know how important weighted key action was. I learned where middle C was, found a teacher, and two months later bought my Samick 5'7" grand.

I stuck with the teacher for about a year. But his smokey clothes and his personal issues got to me, so I struck out on my own for a few months. Then I found Sudnow, worked on it for a few months before discovered PianoMagic. What I'm learning there is blowing my mind! I just wish my fingers could keep up.

My wife and I live on the plains of Kansas where we met many years ago. We have 3 grown reasonably well adjusted children, and life is good. My wife is very much into quilting, and travels all over the country to quilt shows, etc.

My life was basicly "musicless" for the first 57 years. No one in the family had any musical connection. A few years ago, I began to notice that the music I heard in movie scores was having a nice effect on me, so I began to listen more closely, then I started buying classical CDs. Three years ago, I bought one of those little electronic keyboards, and the rest is history.

Most of my time up until then was spent on or near a golf course. I competed on the "mini-tours" (sort of like the minor leagues) and still give the occasional lesson today.

I still love golf, but piano has captured the top spot - gee, you can play when it's raining!!

I see that most of you reside in the states but I am from Canada. I currently live in Toronto, Ontario but originally from Vancouver, B.C.

There are 2 things that I love to do and that is PIANO and GOLF. My parents put me through piano lessons since I was 8 years old and I continued for 10 years. Then of course between school and work I stopped playing piano for over 20 years. Did I miss playing piano?..yes very much!!So what happened in December my husband bought me a Kawai for Christmas and my 40th birthday. Talk about a great birthday and Xmas Gift! So now I'm just trying to make up for lost time with the piano!!

I wanted to play piano as a child, but my older brother got the lessons. About twenty-three years ago my husband and I bought a piano and took an intro class at the community college and I got hooked. We then adopted kids and I put piano dreams aside. Then the kids got lessons. Now it is my turn. I will soon be an empty nester. So two years ago I finally started piano lessons. In addition to piano, I like to read, knit, crochet, cross stitch. In September my youngest son will start college and my husband and I are looking forward to taking frequent short trips and finally getting to know our new (four years) home state of Wisconsin.Love the forum and have gotten some great free advise from the members. I really enjoyed the recital and the piano bar.Thanks. Next...

I am 44 years old and live in the nation's best kept secret paradise of Kentucky. I was a driven career-oriented psychology professor until I met and married my husband (a dealer of rare coins) in 1994, when I discovered there were other things in life besides work. I have two kids: one daughter, Athena (currently 10) who is gifted, almost scarily so, and a 6 year old son, Isaac, who is also very smart but was diagnosed with PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified, essentially a mild form of autism) when he was three. He's done well with early intervention and therapy and is currently performing at or above grade level in school, so we feel optimistic about his future.

I played accordion for 7 years as a child but had always wanted to play the piano. Work and kids kept me too busy until one day I realized piano wasn't going to happen unless I made it happen. My mom had recently died and I used money from her estate to buy my first piano, and later my M&H A.

Right now piano is, outside of my children, the greatest source of reward in my life. I am disgruntled with my job (we are hiring a new assistant professor this year in my dept., and the starting salary is $12,000 more than I am making after 18 years at UK), and every day I fantasize about quitting and trying a free-lance writing career instead, or just sitting around and playing the piano all day. Sounds like heaven, and I may just do it...

s54mo827
1000 Post Club Member
Registered: 12/12/05
Posts: 1231
Loc: New York

Hi. My name is Sharon and I'm a Piano-holic.

That's what I am now. But I remember being 2 years old and singing (they tell me). Always singing.... in plays in school, always in chorus....I even did a stint with the jazz band in high school (my friend and I sang Enough is Enough.... Streisand/Donna Summer big disco hit. I was the soprano, my friend was the alto. It was very well received. Used to also sing opera - but my voice changed - I'm asthmatic. So it's more growly now - but that's okay. Never took piano lessons (daughter did - 3 years).

Never made it big due to life circumstances, but I like singing whenever I can. Was in an office choir for 3 years in one of my jobs.

For the past about 10 years or so I've been a legal secretary and I work in downtown Manhattan. I been all over midtown and kind of like downtown (it's close to my heart). I currently love my job.

I am married to a wonderful, supportive husband this May will be 21 years and have 1 daughter Michelle 18 who's in college studying nursing. She lives at home (which makes mommy (me) very, very, very happy!!!!!

I have a dog Twizzle (3 years old - shep/beagle mix and a six year old iguana (Sonny) - he's a monster - nearly 5 feet long (tip of snout to tip of tail) - seriously.

And, yup - he's bit me on my face 3 times and scratched up my arms.... But I healed up okay (scars you can hardly detect - ya got to look real close at my face and then I have to point out where). Anyway, he's a good boy now.

Right now I love piano and I am currently taking the Pianomagic course (ya'll know that already). And that's about it. Well there's more.... but how much can I write?

I just turned 45, and live near Washington, DC. I was born and raised in the Midwest (hence the screen name). Growing up, EVERYONE in our family did something with music. It seemed like every other Sunday, we would get trotted up to the front of the church to sing as a trio, quartet, etc....

I never took music lessons as a kid, but joined the band, and learned to play the trombone, then later, picked up the guitar. I've always had a really good ear, and started playing the piano that way, although I also read music. Most of my piano playing was developed trying to learn Elton John/Jackson Browne/Billy Joel tunes, so my style is very rhythm and chord driven.

I spent an enlistment in the Army (to get money to finish school), and then went on to get a graduate degree. I met my wife while living in CT - and while she and her family enjoy music, NOBODY sings or plays ANYTHING. We've got two kids - an 11-year old son who's also PDD-NOS (but very bright), so we're really working on helping him adapt to the world around him. Our 7-year old daughter is more like me - she's very musical, and a natural ham. We both have very good ears, and I'm teaching her how to do cartoon and character voices, as well as playing her favorite show tunes on the piano.

In June, 2004, I bought a motorcycle. My wife advised against it, but I started anyway. While practicing in a parking lot, I over-revved the bike, and it got away from me - I hit a curb, bounced off the bike, and landed square on the edge of the curb, fracturing my L2 vertebrae across 3 axes. (the doc said I 'exploded' it). If I had tried to stand up, I'd be in a wheelchair today. The paramedics got me to the hospital, and I had no feeling in my right leg at all.....I underwent surgery to fuse my L2 back together, along with securing it to my T12-L3 vertebrae...and I had to learn to walk all over again. I was in the re-hab hospital for over a month, and it took me almost a year to get back to 'normal.' I'm fine now, but it was a very scary time for me and my family.

So, having worked very hard on earning my wife's forgiveness.....she's supportive of my piano playing, and is very encouraging for both me and our daughter. Once we started her on lessons, I decided that I would FINALLY learn how to play legitimately. I went from faking my way through things like 'Funeral for a Friend' and 'Honky Cat' to John Thompson Grade Two. It was quite a shock, but we're focusing on learning the technique that I never quite picked up. Despite the amount of wood-

I am 30 (turned that last month). I recieved a B.Mus degree in 1999 from the University of Ottawa in flute and theory (I really love theory- yes I am a music geek)I started flute at age 13 and it was my first instrument, but I sang in choirs at school since I was really little. I live on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia but I was born and raised in Ottawa (which I miss dearly).

I started piano as an older teenager in order to pass the the non piano majors piano requirements in order to get my B.Mus. I took lessons for a year but it interfered with my flute practicing so I am mostly self taught.

I started taking piano lessons again 2 weeks ago beecause I need to work on my touch and technique. My teacher has me only playing gr 6 RCM pieces in order to fix my touch which seem very easy note wise, but I must stop pounding LOL. In october I started taking pipe organ lessons which I love. Eventually I want to become a church organist. Reading and sight reading are my fortes, and technical accuracy and speed are also my fortes on flute

I am a private music teacher and a group teacher of the Music for Young Children (tm) program.

I currently sing soprano 2 /alto 1 in a high level auditioned chorale as well as in church choir. I play flute in the church orchestra, plus in concerts, weddings and church services. I arrange the music for the church orchestra as well as arrange and conduct the junior orchestra.

Basically music is my life and I am either teaching in rehearsals or practicing!!!!

Am I a beginner if I currently have nothing to play on? Maybe...I try to play songs in my head right now. Does that count?

Let's see, 43 years old going on 80. I always wanted to play the piano but my parents didn't have the money for lessons or a piano when I was young. My older sisters played clarinet and guitar and when it came to me, my chosen instrument was too expensive. Bummer! So I waited until I was 34 and bought my Steinway M! My mom had just died of Parkinson's Disease after suffering for many years and I just decided that life was too short and I had to do what I wanted to do for myself. So I took lessons from a high school student who was an excellent pianist. I was into Broadway tunes...Les Mis, Phantom, Cats, plus movie theme songs. I was using Alfred's books and then I began traveling more for work and then I got pregnant & tired, etc.

Enter the kids. My daughter was diagnosed autistic with all sorts of other problems, at age 2 years 3 months. I was 8 weeks pregnant with my son at the time and have since spent most of my time trying to find services and therapies and funding for my daughter. I quit my job in marketing for HP. When my son was 2, he was also diagnosed autistic (no surprise since we knew the signs) and then my life really spun totally out of control. No time, no life. I never had any time to play the piano at all. I'd look at it and wish I could play, and I'd feel guilty for not! I never thought we'd ever sell it...and we were just starting to tinker with it a bit when we began looking at our assets and trying to figure out what to sell. I have been very sad ever since!

Now I have a teacher lined up for me (and my daughter if she'll sit still long enough), so I'm trying to find a piano. I just bought the sheet music to Wicked & was at the store looking for "Killing Me Softly" in easy piano plus some Elton John and old Broadway songs.

Oh, I love dogs. We used to have three siberian huskies...now we have one left. Married 8 years. Love to travel, used to play a great game of tennis, love a good glass of Cabernet & old movies. I hope to write a book someday when I can make the time. Graduated from Stanford in Communication & Psychology. If I could do it all over again...I'd keep the Steinway!

I'm 23 years old, graduated from University of Aberdeen last year - Honours Geography, although I dabbled in International Relations and Politics.

Started playing piano in October - my grandad passed away and left me some money, so I thought it would be appropriate to get a piano with it (i used to hit the keys on his acoustic when I went as a kid).

Played clarinet for a couple of years during high school, and also electric guitar for 5 years. Was very much into playing squash / racketball, until a rather drunken incident left me with a mangled elbow.

Currently spending my free time playing piano or golfing. I live near St. Andrews so golf is quite popular around here.

Have been to US and Canada once each - Detroit and Toronto were the destinations. I'm keeping quiet about which place I preferred

Right, then, I'm 17 years old (youngest here?) and I guess techincally not an Adult Beginner cause I started at 13. But anyway I'm not exactly surpassing anyone in the skill department, so hopefully noone minds

I listen to a lot of music other people would define as scary *cough*Rammstein*cough*, but apart from that I really like a Japanese singer called Gackt, and will listen to about anything else that doesn't include bagpipes

(if you want me to be more specific, Nightwish, Matchbox Twenty, HIM, Alex Lloyd, George, and Nickleback are a few of the more well known names on my playlist)

Apart from music my interests are art, animation and learning Japanese. I'm hoping to go to Japan sometime next year, I don't know for how long.

I have two parents who really don't get the whole "music" thing, a sister who just started guitar lessons, and a cat who wont go near the piano after jumping on the keys one day. Nice to meet you all!

Ok, I'm 48. I'm a self employed sign painter, my father and grandfather both did it also. I was trouble up to age 25. Got married at 25 and just celebrated 22 years with the love of my life. Two great, responsible kids both over 18 now (don't know how I deserved that).

Started playing with computers in high school, kinda became the pc guru for everyone I know. I play lots of online role playing games. I took up golf 3 years ago and play whenever I can (50 rounds a year or better). I hope to break 80 this year. I challenge anyone to online golf.

Owned a Harley for 10 years till it became a fad. Got off it while I could still walk straight.

Started playing the piano a year ago, because I always wanted to play. Finally got around to it.

I am pretty new on this forum so I will take this opportunity to introduce myself.

I am a female, 24 years old and live in Enschede, that is town in the east of the Netherlands. I'm studying mechanical engineering and will be busy with my graduation for the next six months. In the mean time I'm trying to find out what kind of work I would like to do after my graduation. For four years I am together with my boy friend, but we still live seperately in student homes.

I started music lessons at the age of eight with wooden flute (don't know the english word), but jumped over to electric keyboard on the age of 10. Two years later I had persuaded my dad that I absolutely had to get a piano and take piano lessons. So it went. I took lessons for 5 years and one year of preperatory training at the conservatory. Instead of going for the music I decided to go to university and didn't play (at least hardly) for about 5 years. Last November I have bought a digital and now I am working hard to get to the same level again.

So, I am busy with my study, spending quality time with my boyfriend, teaching second grade engineering students for a couple of hours a week, working hard on the piano and jump in the swimming pool to stay in good shape

I am pretty new on this forum so I will take this opportunity to introduce myself.

I am a female, 24 years old and live in Enschede, that is town in the east of the Netherlands. I'm studying mechanical engineering and will be busy with my graduation for the next six months. In the mean time I'm trying to find out what kind of work I would like to do after my graduation. For four years I am together with my boy friend, but we still live seperately in student homes.

I started music lessons at the age of eight with wooden flute (don't know the english word), but jumped over to electric keyboard on the age of 10. Two years later I had persuaded my dad that I absolutely had to get a piano and take piano lessons. So it went. I took lessons for 5 years and one year of preperatory training at the conservatory. Instead of going for the music I decided to go to university and didn't play (at least hardly) for about 5 years. Last November I have bought a digital and now I am working hard to get to the same level again.

So, I am busy with my study, spending quality time with my boyfriend and other friends and family, teaching second grade engineering students for a couple of hours a week, working hard on the piano and jump in the swimming pool to stay in good shape